Chapter 87: Extra 15
Ever since Chi Zhou began working under Li Zhan, he had always had a very good impression of him.
In Chi Zhou’s eyes, the Regent Prince handled affairs with calmness and restraint, and his character was beyond reproach.
So on that day when Li Zhan asked him for his waist token, Chi Zhou did not even ask what it was for—he simply handed it over.
It was not until that night that Li Zhan’s men came to the Chi residence and informed him that someone from the Jiao Fang Department would soon be delivering a young lady to his home, and that he should prepare a room for her.
Chi Zhou was bewildered and shocked, never having imagined that Li Zhan had used his token to go to the Jiao Fang Department!
What confused him even more was why Li Zhan, after paying for a girl, would send her to his residence.
Chi Zhou had always been a man of integrity and never involved himself with places like the Jiao Fang Department. Li Zhan surely knew this. So what was the purpose of sending her here?
Chi Zhou could not make sense of it, but the messenger came and left in haste, leaving him no chance to ask further.
Perhaps Wang Ye had some deeper intention that could not be spoken aloud.
It was only when the Jiao Fang Department delivered Ji Qinglan to his residence that Chi Zhou finally understood.
Since it was the third young lady of the Ji family, Li Zhan did not need to explain anything further.
After the Ji family fell from grace, Ji Qinglan had originally intended to end her life.
But under the laws of Great Yu, if a condemned person took their own life, their family would also be punished.
Because she was worried about her two elder brothers, she had not chosen death.
Fortunately, that hesitation allowed her to be rescued from the Jiao Fang Department by Li Zhan and Ji Qingzhou.
On the night she was sent to the Chi residence, she did not yet understand Li Zhan’s arrangement.
Only after meeting Chi Zhou and hearing his explanation did Ji Qinglan realize what had happened.
“Wang Ye arranged for Miss Ji to stay here because he feared that if news spread, it might alert the enemy,” Chi Zhou said to her. “But… my residence is quite humble, so I hope you will forgive the inconvenience. I have no female servants here, but I will hire one for you tomorrow.”
Ji Qinglan bowed to Chi Zhou and said, “You are too kind, Assistant Minister Chi. I am the one troubling you, so I should be the one apologizing.”
“Miss Ji, you need not say that, when I was young, I received much guidance from your father, the Imperial Tutor. I never had a chance to repay his kindness. Now that I can do even this small thing for you, I am deeply honored.” With that, he returned her bow.
“You are too courteous, Assistant Minister Chi,” Ji Qinglan replied, bowing again.
“It is only what I ought to do,” Chi Zhou said, returning the bow once more.
The two of them kept exchanging bows back and forth for quite a while, yet not a single practical word was spoken.
Although Ji Qinglan had grown up in a scholarly family, she was lively and straightforward by nature and did not particularly enjoy such formalities. Still, since Chi Zhou remained so polite, she could only match his courtesy.
That night, Chi Zhou arranged for Ji Qinglan to stay in the guest room of the rear courtyard, while he moved himself to the study in the front courtyard to avoid impropriety. The residence was small, so he left the study door open at night in case she needed him.
The next day, Chi Zhou hired a maidservant for her.
Ji Qinglan had initially wanted to refuse, but remembering their polite standoff the night before—and knowing Chi Zhou’s gentle appearance hid a stubborn nature—she accepted.
The maidservant was quick and capable and took excellent care of Ji Qinglan. Yet Ji Qinglan herself was not spoiled and did not want to live there idly, so she helped the maid with the daily household chores.
Within a few days, the Chi residence had taken on a noticeably warm and homelike atmosphere under their care.
Chi Zhou did not pay much attention to such things, until one evening when he was working in his study and noticed a new porcelain vase on his desk, holding several freshly picked flowers.
A light breeze came through the half-open window, making the candle flame flicker gently.
Chi Zhou looked at the flowers and felt something in his heart he had never experienced before.
Ever since he entered official service, he had been too busy to care about the comforts of daily life. But at that moment, he realized for the first time that this place called “home” finally felt different from the government office.
Over the next few days, he began to notice more changes around the house.
He discovered that the withered tree in the courtyard had been replaced with a young sapling, and the once plain garden had been redesigned. Though the work was not yet complete, it already hinted at what would become a lively and flourishing space.
When Chi Zhou asked the household servants about it, they told him that Ji Qinglan had been the one to arrange everything.
Only then did Chi Zhou remember that she had casually asked for his permission before making the changes. He had not thought much of it at the time, never imagining a young lady would have such skills.
That day, Chi Zhou went to the rear courtyard to personally thank her.
Ji Qinglan was trimming the flowers in the garden with a pair of shears, and when she saw him approach, she quickly set them aside.
“I once heard that the Imperial Tutor personally taught His Majesty and Wang Ye how to care for the palace gardens,” Chi Zhou said. “I did not expect that he had passed this skill on to you as well. As for me… although I am a man, I have never tended to such things, and the garden has nearly fallen into ruin.”
Ji Qinglan chuckled softly and said, “I hope you won’t mind that I started digging around your residence without much notice, Assistant Minister Chi.”
“Young Lady Ji, what are you saying?” Chi Zhou replied. “You already asked for my permission a few days ago, so it can hardly be called rash. In fact, I should be the one thanking you for your efforts.”
Ji Qinglan gestured for him to sit at the stone table in the courtyard. She personally poured him a cup of tea, then took a seat beside him and said, “My father often said that everyone in this world has their own responsibilities. Assistant Minister Chi has been working tirelessly for the court and the people—that is your duty. As for me, I spend my days idle in this house. Perhaps tending to this courtyard is the task I ought to be doing.”
When Chi Zhou heard that, he said with a bit of embarrassment, “If Young Lady Ji puts it that way, I almost feel ashamed.”
“Assistant Minister Chi is always so polite,” Ji Qinglan laughed. “You speak more stiffly than the old scholars I used to see in my father’s study. If you are being so careful with your words because I am a woman, you might as well try treating me like a man. Think about how you would speak to my brother.”
Chi Zhou paused, caught off guard, and felt somewhat awkward. It was true that he felt uneasy around Ji Qinglan. For one, she was a woman, and there were boundaries between men and women that he naturally tried to respect. Secondly, since they were about the same age and both unmarried, he was especially careful to observe proper gentlemanly etiquette with her—more so than with others.
But now that Ji Qinglan had said it so plainly, his brief embarrassment soon faded, and he actually felt more relaxed.
“Young Lady Ji certainly has a good sense of humor,” Chi Zhou said with a smile.
“I remembered going to the Imperial Academy with my father when I was little,” Ji Qinglan said. “At that time, you were still a young man, and you didn’t behave as stiffly as you do now. My father always said that a true gentleman’s nature was firm and could not be changed by the times. Since you were like that back then, I don’t think your character would have truly changed now.”
“But the way you spoke to me now was completely different from how you did back then. That was probably because I was dressed as a boy at the time.” Ji Qinglan said.
Chi Zhou stared at her in surprise for a moment, then realization dawned on him. “I remember now… that sharp-tongued little boy was actually you?”
“Assistant Minister Chi even pointed at my nose back then and said I was sarcastic and mean for my age,” Ji Qinglan laughed.
Chi Zhou burst into laughter. “I was young and hot-tempered at the time. I couldn’t win the argument, so I got annoyed… hahaha.”
As they reminisced about the past, they both felt a flood of emotions and suddenly had a shared topic to talk about.
Chi Zhou stopped acting so formal, and their conversation became much more relaxed.
After that day, Chi Zhou felt far more at ease around Ji Qinglan.
Sometimes they would eat together at the residence, and Chi Zhou would even tell her about matters in the court.
Although Ji Qinglan was young and had never been involved in government affairs, she was highly intelligent. She had read many books, and her insights on various issues often surprised Chi Zhou.
“It is such a pity, if you were not a woman and could enter official service, you would surely become a pillar of the state.” Chi Zhou sighed.
Ji Qinglan, however, did not agree. “Why is that a pity? Everyone has their own aspirations. Even if I were a man, I might not have had great ambitions to serve the country. I might still have preferred to stay home and tend to flowers and plants.”
That day, Ji Qinglan noticed that one of Chi Zhou’s sleeves had been torn somewhere, so she brought out a needle and thread to mend it for him.
Chi Zhou sat beside her and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
Ji Qinglan then continued, “Since ancient times, those who spoke for the people relied on their sense of responsibility, not merely on their learning. Besides, studying was not meant only for gaining rank and wealth. If someone chose to be a gardener, or a seamstress, or even made a living in the Jiao Fang Department—did that make the knowledge they had learned meaningless?”
“Yes, that is true…” Chi Zhou said thoughtfully. “A person’s knowledge was not meant solely for becoming an official. What you said made me realize something. Take the orchid painted on this porcelain cup of mine. The artist who painted it was very skilled. In the past, I would have thought he belonged in the Imperial Painting Academy. But now that I think about it, isn’t painting porcelain in a kiln also a place where his talent is put to good use?”
Ji Qinglan smiled. “Exactly. No matter where a person is, they can find their own place of fulfillment.”
“You are right,” Chi Zhou said. “I have learned something today.”
Ji Qinglan finished sewing up his sleeve and put away her needle and thread. Then she said, “You are too easy to convince. If I had said the same thing to my brother, he would definitely have argued with me.”
“Oh? Yet you managed to convince me,” Chi Zhou said with a grin. “If it had been your brother, what would he have said?”
Ji Qinglan cleared her throat and imitated Ji Qinghuai’s tone. “In the Great Yu, not everyone has the chance to study, and to be taught by Father is an extraordinary privilege. If someone like that refuses to serve the court after receiving such an education, it would be better to let someone with real responsibility take their place. Otherwise, Father’s efforts would have been wasted on a person who only knows how to admire themselves.”
“Exactly!” Chi Zhou slapped the low table and said, “That makes perfect sense. There are only a handful of people in the entire Great Yu who can be taught by Imperial Tutor Ji. If they don’t serve the court, it really would be a waste. Your brother is absolutely right!”
Ji Qinglan couldn’t help but laugh, and once Chi Zhou realized what he had just done, he started laughing too.
“Does that mean my principles are a bit too shaky?” Chi Zhou asked.
“It’s not your fault, I was once persuaded by my brother’s words too.” Ji Qinglan quickly replied.
Chi Zhou looked at Ji Qinglan and felt deeply moved. He had assumed that after all the hardships the Ji family had gone through, Ji Qinglan must have been despondent. But now it seemed that she was far more open-minded than the bystanders like himself.
Ji Qinglan’s stay at the Chi residence was almost reaching the end of the one-month period.
Chi Zhou could not bear to send her back to the Jiao Fang Department, so he personally went there and paid the required sum.
Although his salary was not meager, even after emptying his savings, he could only afford to extend her stay by one more month. Fortunately, the matter Li Zhan was handling was likely to reach a conclusion soon, and perhaps there would be a new turning point then.
After arranging everything, Chi Zhou did not tell Ji Qinglan about it.
The subject made him feel somewhat awkward, and perhaps he also felt a bit guilty. That was why his actions now seemed rather abrupt and difficult to explain.
He did not want Ji Qinglan to go back. Or rather… he wanted her to stay.
As for the exact reason, he could not say, or perhaps he had not even dared to think about it himself.
But Ji Qinglan understood propriety very well. She had already calculated the days and knew exactly when it was time for her to leave.
Since no one had told her that she could continue staying, she could only prepare herself to return to the Jiao Fang Department.
That day, Ji Qinglan packed up her personal belongings and went to bid farewell to Chi Zhou.
Chi Zhou hesitated for a long while, stammering, before finally telling her vaguely that she did not need to rush off just yet.
“Did Wang Ye or my second brother have new plans?” Ji Qinglan asked him.
“Well… not exactly…” Chi Zhou replied awkwardly. “The Jiao Fang Department… accepted some more silver.”
Ji Qinglan frowned slightly and asked, “Who paid the silver?”
Chi Zhou knew he could not avoid the question and admitted, “I did.”
“How much was it?” Ji Qinglan asked.
“A few thousand taels. For now, it could only cover one month,” Chi Zhou said. “But don’t worry. If nothing changes by then, I will find another way.”
Ji Qinglan knew that with Chi Zhou’s rank and position, his monthly salary was barely a hundred taels. A few thousand taels must have been all of his savings. She had not expected him to do such a thing, and she felt both surprised and deeply moved.
By all reason, since she and Chi Zhou were not related in any way, she should not have accepted such generosity from him.
But she was still a woman, and in that moment, she simply did not have the courage to refuse his kindness and return to the Jiao Fang Department.
“Assistant Minister Chi’s great kindness, in the future I—”
“There is no need to say such things,” Chi Zhou interrupted. “I know exactly what I am doing.”
Ji Qinglan thought for a moment, then asked, “You saved that money to start a family, didn’t you?”
“Yes, I had intended to use it as a betrothal gift when I got married…” Chi Zhou replied. But as soon as he said it, he felt that it sounded inappropriate, almost as if he were hinting at something. Afraid that Ji Qinglan might misunderstand, he hurried to explain, “That is not what I meant… this money… I…”
Chi Zhou only made himself more embarrassed with that explanation. The more he tried to clarify, the worse it sounded, and by the end he was blushing from head to neck. In the end, he could only flee in awkward defeat.
After that, Ji Qinglan continued treating Chi Zhou just as she had before.
But Chi Zhou, distracted by his own thoughts, began acting somewhat awkwardly.
Ji Qinglan noticed it, but she did not bring it up.
Time passed like that until the day the old case was to be retried.
The night before, Ji Qinglan went to Chi Zhou and asked him to take her into the palace with him.
“You wouldn’t want to see that scene,” Chi Zhou told her. “Even if the officials do not make things difficult for Wang Ye or your younger brother, they certainly will not be polite. You are a young lady—you should not have to face all that. Listen to me and stay at the residence. As soon as there is news, I will send word to you immediately.”
Ji Qinglan understood his concern, but she said, “Don’t worry. I do not intend to do anything. It is just that my second brother will be facing all this alone, and I feel for him. I want to be closer to him, so he knows I stand by his side. If my elder brother were here, he would certainly have brought me along as well.”
Chi Zhou was not someone who was easily persuaded, yet whenever he faced Ji Qinglan, he found it impossible to hold firm to any principle.
With just a few words, she convinced him. So that day, he took Ji Qinglan with him into the palace.
Since they were retrialing the Ji family’s case that day, it was not against the rules for Ji Qinglan, as a member of the Ji family, to enter the palace.
“If everything goes smoothly today, once the case is resolved, you may not need to return to my residence again. I…” Chi Zhou stood at the rear hall of the throne room, dressed in his official robes. He looked more serious than usual as he faced Ji Qinglan. “There is something I want to say. It may be somewhat abrupt, but if I do not say it today, I fear I might never have another chance.”
Ji Qinglan seemed to guess what he wanted to say and replied, “The Ji residence is not without doors. You can come and say whatever you wish at any time. Why would there be no chance?”
Chi Zhou paused, and once again, he was easily persuaded by her words.
In that moment, he sensed another meaning behind what she said. Did Ji Qinglan mean… that he could freely visit the Ji residence in the future?
Chi Zhou was a straightforward man. Since Ji Qinglan said he could visit the Ji residence, he went there with her carriage that very day.
In the days that followed, the Ji residence was restored and repaired. Ji Qinghuai also returned to the capital, and the three Ji siblings were finally reunited.
Not wanting to appear too eager, Chi Zhou deliberately waited a few days before gathering the courage to seek out Ji Qinglan.
Ji Qinglan had been right. No one stopped him when he entered the Ji residence, and the servants even treated him with courtesy.
After returning to the Ji residence, Ji Qinglan did not remain idle.
On the day Chi Zhou came to see her, she was in the back garden trimming the flowering trees with a pair of shears.
Ji Qinglan was not surprised to see him. She personally poured him tea, though she did not invite him inside.
Chi Zhou sat in the courtyard watching Ji Qinglan work with the shears, his eyes never leaving her.
“A few days ago, I tried trimming the trees at my own residence, I am not very skilled, and I ruined quite a few of them.” Chi Zhou said.
“Then why didn’t you invite me to come help?” Ji Qinglan asked.
Chi Zhou’s eyes lit up at once when he heard that. “May I?” he asked.
“Why not? Besides, I stayed at your residence for so long and you never charged me. It’s only right that I return the favor,” Ji Qinglan said.
Chi Zhou’s expression dimmed again. “About the money I spent at the Jiao Fang Department last time—Wang Ye already had it refunded to me. So… the betrothal gift I saved up has been returned.”
“That’s good,” Ji Qinglan said with a smile.
“I was thinking…” Chi Zhou stepped closer to her and gathered his courage. “By proper etiquette, I should inform the elders of my family first. Perhaps this is somewhat abrupt. But I feel that you are different from others, so my intentions should be made known to you first. If you agree, then I can go…”
Ji Qinglan turned to look at him, waiting for him to finish.
Meeting her gaze, Chi Zhou suddenly felt even more embarrassed.
“I was thinking… perhaps you… I’m not sure if I’ve misunderstood you,” Chi Zhou said. His breathing grew quick with nerves, and cold sweat formed on his forehead. “What I’m saying today… if you agree, then I will go speak to your brother…”
“To formally ask for your hand,” Chi Zhou finally managed to say.
Even though Ji Qinglan was straightforward by nature, she still felt shy about something like this, so she could not bring herself to answer him directly.
Seeing the beads of sweat on his forehead, she took out a handkerchief and handed it to him.
Chi Zhou instinctively accepted it and wiped his sweat. Then he saw Ji Qinglan turn around and leave without saying a word.
He had not yet returned the handkerchief, and just as he was about to call out to stop her, he noticed that her ears were faintly red.
He froze for a moment before finally understanding, though he still felt a little dejected, thinking she had not answered his confession.
Looking down at the handkerchief in his hand, he saw an embroidered orchid on it. The orchid looked strangely familiar. Then he realized—it was the same orchid that had been painted on the porcelain cup in his study.
Feeling flustered, Chi Zhou walked through the garden toward the exit, but when he passed the main hall, he ran into Ji Qinghuai.
“Assistant Minister Chi, would you like to stay for some tea?” Ji Qinghuai asked.
Chi Zhou stopped, but he truly was not in the mood. After bowing politely, he said, “I will come visit again another day…”
Ji Qinghuai noticed the handkerchief in his hand and smiled. “When you come to propose, you’d better choose a day when Qingzhou is at home. Otherwise, he might not be pleased and could give you a hard time.” Since the Ji family elders were no longer alive, Ji Qinghuai and Ji Qingzhou now acted as Ji Qinglan’s guardians, so Chi Zhou’s proposal would naturally require both of them to be present.
Chi Zhou was stunned by those words. He looked down at the handkerchief again, and only then did he realize what it meant.
So that was the meaning behind Ji Qinglan giving him the handkerchief!!
Chi Zhou was usually a clever man, but in that moment he had been slow to understand. He had thought that since Ji Qinglan left without saying anything, she must have rejected him. He had even felt heartbroken looking at that orchid. Now that Ji Qinghuai had pointed it out, he finally grasped the deeper meaning.
Ji Qinglan had accepted him.
“Yes, I understand,” Chi Zhou said, beaming with joy. He bowed again to Ji Qinghuai before leaving the Ji residence.
Ji Qinghuai watched his reaction and could not help shaking his head after Chi Zhou left.
“Does the young master dislike him?” Tu Dayou asked.
“Assistant Minister Chi is upright, talented, and accomplished at such a young age. Even if my father were still alive, he would surely have liked him,” Ji Qinghuai said.
“Then why did you shake your head?” Tu Dayou asked, puzzled.
Ji Qinghuai laughed. “I just thought he was too slow. Once he marries Lan’er, he will probably end up being teased by her all the time.”
Outside the Ji residence, Chi Zhou stepped out of the gate and let out an enormous sneeze.
He walked quickly down the alley, unable to contain his excitement and happiness. Seeing that no one was around, he tilted his head back and shouted in joy. He had not realized he was standing near the garden wall of the Ji residence, so his shout was heard clearly by Ji Qinglan on the other side.
“Did you fall or hurt yourself?” Ji Qinglan asked from behind the wall.
Chi Zhou jumped in surprise, then laughed. “How did you know it was me?”
“I didn’t just now. But I do now,” Ji Qinglan replied.
Standing outside the wall, Chi Zhou asked, “Was it you who painted the porcelain cup in my study?”
“Yes,” Ji Qinglan answered. “I remember you saying that the cup was painted so well it deserved to be displayed in the Imperial Art Academy. These days I was wondering if the Academy accepted female artists.”
Chi Zhou smiled. “If they don’t, then you can paint all the porcelain in my residence in the future.”
“Will you pay me?” Ji Qinglan asked.
Chi Zhou thought for a moment and realized that was a difficult question to answer. “You can decide,” he said.
Ji Qinglan seemed pleased with that response. “I just cut off a flower. Would you like it?”
Chi Zhou was about to say yes, but then thought it might look strange for her to toss it over the wall. “Wait for me. I’ll come inside and get it myself.”
Just then, Ji Qinghuai had finished telling Tu Dayou that Chi Zhou would surely be “handled” by his clever little sister in the future. The moment he said that, Chi Zhou hurried back into the residence.
Ji Qinghuai could only shake his head and sigh. Truly, everyone had their match.
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